In today’s market, investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t a luxury. If your website isn’t optimized, it could be relegated to the back pages of the internet. While SEO might sound like a difficult concept, it’s easier than you think.

Let’s address what SEO is: a marketing method that’s focused on improving your organic, or non-paid, search engine results. Since search engines are the primary method through which people surf the internet and obtain information, having an optimized site can make or break your business. After all, if your company isn’t featured in search results, how will your future customers know to find you?

Though your website’s design plays into its optimization, content really is king. You see, search engines have bots the crawl your website and search for content that can be indexed. So, if your content does not feature any of the keywords that people might search for, like “HVAC repair” or “oil change,” then prospective customers won’t find you and your organic ranking on Google will go down. That’s why optimized content is essential to your website’s success. How can you tell if your content meets SEO best practices?

It is quality – as aforementioned if your website doesn’t mention anything about the services or products you provide or who you are as a business, then search engines will not find it credible and neither will your prospective customers. If you’re a dentist who does not offer orthodontic services, don’t feature that content on your site. When writing content, it’s best to keep it simple. Feature the most important information above the fold (so people won’t have to scroll down to learn about your services or hours of operation) and get to the point, quick.

It is keyword dense – the simple truth is that if you want your website to rank for certain words, then those words need to be present in your content. But there’s a fine line between keyword dense content and keyword stuffed content. Keyword dense content flows. The words you want to rank for, like “plumber” or “computer repair” or “hair extensions” are woven into your text naturally. Keyword stuffed copy features these words in awkward places in an attempt to get a higher ranking. Not only will it turn your customers off, but it will negatively affect your ranking.

It is fresh – now, you won’t be able to update your site and instantly see a boost in results (unless your site is a unicorn, in which case, sign me up). Fresh content is engaging, keeps your website up to date, and often has a lower bounce rate. A good way to consistently update your website is by featuring a blog. Not only is this another method of engaging your customers and providing useful information, i.e. “how to tell if your HVAC unit needs replacing,” but it gives you the chance to have more keywords on your site.

To make the most out of your website, make sure your content is optimized for the web. Not only will this drive leads, but it could help your site get to the first page of search results.